Live Chat · head to head
LiveChat vs tawk.to
The short version
- Only tawk.to has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: LiveChat the Starter plan retains only 60 days of chat history, so an audit trail requires the Team plan at $49 per person per month; tawk.to removing the Powered by tawk.to branding costs an extra $29/month even on the free plan
- They diverge on capability: LiveChat covers Chat routing, tawk.to covers Knowledge base.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which LiveChat and tawk.to actually diverge.
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Live Chat).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in LiveChat
- Chat routing
- Analytics
- Canned responses
- File sharing
- Salesforce
- HubSpot
- PCI DSS
- HIPAA-ready
Only in tawk.to
- Knowledge base
- CRM
- Video chat
- Screen sharing
- Wix
- Google Analytics
- SSL
- Data encryption
Both cover
- Live chat
- Ticketing
- Shopify
- WordPress
- Zapier
- GDPR
- Web support
- Ios support
- Android support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
LiveChat
- Live chat support on a website with agent routingnot tawk.to
- Handling customer conversations across chat, SMS and messaging channelsnot tawk.to
tawk.to
- Website live chat and visitor engagementnot LiveChat
- Customer support automationnot LiveChat
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
LiveChat
- The Starter plan retains only 60 days of chat history, so an audit trail requires the Team plan at $49 per person per month
- Pricing is per agent, so support cost scales with headcount rather than with conversation volume
- AI reply suggestions are capped by plan, at 3 knowledge sources on Starter and 10 above it
- Surveys and eye catchers are predefined rather than customisable below the Enterprise plan
- SSO, white labelling and HIPAA compliance are Enterprise only
tawk.to
- Removing the Powered by tawk.to branding costs an extra $29/month even on the free plan
- Enhanced AI Assist chatbot is a paid add-on starting at $29/month rather than included free
- Human staffed chat agents are billed at $1/hour as a separate add-on
Pricing, plan by plan
LiveChat
$20/month- Starter$20/month
- 60-day chat history
- Basic customization
- Ticketing system
- Team$41/month
- Unlimited history
- Advanced reporting
- Branding removal
- Business$59/month
- Staffing prediction
- Work scheduler
- Apple Business Chat
- Enterprise$undefined/month
- Dedicated account manager
- Product training
- SSO
tawk.to
Free- Free Core SoftwareFree
- Live chat software with no feature limitations
- Chat pages
- Knowledge base (hosted help center)
- Branding Removal$29/month
- Remove Powered by tawk.to widget branding
- AI Assist Premium$29/month
- AI-powered chatbot automation
- Hired Chat Agents$1/hour
- Professional trained agents 24/7/365
Which should you pick?
Choose LiveChat if
- You need chat routing.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android, Desktop.
- You also want analytics.
Choose tawk.to if
- You need knowledge base.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android, Windows, Mac.
- You also want crm.
Questions people ask
- Is LiveChat or tawk.to better?
- Neither clearly leads. LiveChat starts at $20/month and tawk.to at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, LiveChat or tawk.to?
- tawk.to has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $20/month for LiveChat and Free for tawk.to.
- Does LiveChat or tawk.to run on more platforms?
- LiveChat runs on Web, Ios, Android, Desktop. tawk.to runs on Web, Ios, Android, Windows, Mac.
- Can I use tawk.to for free?
- Yes. tawk.to has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. LiveChat starts at $20/month.
- What is LiveChat best used for?
- LiveChat is most often used for live chat support on a website with agent routing, handling customer conversations across chat, sms and messaging channels. Of those, live chat support on a website with agent routing and handling customer conversations across chat, sms and messaging channels are not what tawk.to is typically brought in for.
- What can LiveChat do that tawk.to cannot?
- LiveChat covers Chat routing, Analytics, Canned responses, File sharing. tawk.to covers Knowledge base, CRM, Video chat, Screen sharing. Both handle Live chat, Ticketing, Shopify, WordPress.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
LiveChat: How much does LiveChat cost?
LiveChat pricing starts at $19/month for the Starter plan (annual billing). The Team plan is $49/person/month and includes unlimited users. The Business plan is $79/person/month with advanced features. Enterprise plans require a custom quote.
Sourcetawk.to: How much does tawk.to cost?
tawk.to is free for core live chat, knowledge base, ticketing, and CRM. Premium add-ons start at $29/month for branding removal or AI Assist, and $1/hour for hired chat agents.
SourceLiveChat: Does LiveChat offer a free trial?
Yes, LiveChat provides a 14-day free trial with AI-driven features and no credit card required.
Sourcetawk.to: Is tawk.to free forever?
Yes, tawk.to's core software including live chat, knowledge base, ticketing, and contacts is free forever with no feature limitations.
SourceLiveChat: What is the difference between LiveChat's Team and Business plans?
The Team plan ($49/person/month) tracks 400 visitors and includes unlimited campaigns and chat history. The Business plan ($79/person/month) tracks 1,000 visitors and adds work scheduler, advanced reporting, SMS, and Apple Messages support.
Sourcetawk.to: How are tawk.to's hired chat agents priced?
Hired chat agents are billed at $1 per hour with professional trained staff providing 24/7/365 support.
SourceRelated pages
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